Investigators are examining surveillance video and awaiting formal identification as they determine how the infant came to be left in Central-Alameda.
LOS ANGELES — Detectives were searching for surveillance video and working to reconstruct a baby girl’s final hours Tuesday after she was found in a dumpster in South Los Angeles and later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The investigation centers on a dumpster near the 5200 block of Alba Street in the Central-Alameda neighborhood, where the infant was discovered about 10:30 p.m. Monday. Police are treating the death as a homicide, but authorities had not publicly announced an official cause of death or completed a formal identification as of Tuesday morning.
A person taking out trash found the baby wrapped in a blanket and called 911, according to information police provided to local news organizations. Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded and transported the girl to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police initially estimated that the infant was between 4 and 6 months old. Investigators also said they believed she had been left in the dumpster sometime during the previous 24 hours. The dumpster is near the Pueblo del Rio housing complex and across the street from Holmes Avenue Elementary School.
With few witnesses immediately available, investigators began looking for cameras that might have recorded activity around the dumpster or nearby streets. Such footage could help detectives narrow the timeline and identify people or vehicles that were in the area before the baby was discovered.
Questions about the child’s identity became a significant part of the investigation Tuesday after relatives arrived in the area and expressed concern that the infant could be their granddaughter. Family members spoke publicly about their efforts to account for a baby in their family, but authorities had not yet announced a formal identification.
The distinction is important because official identification rests with investigators and county forensic authorities rather than witnesses or relatives at the scene. Police were continuing to gather information while the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner worked to establish the infant’s identity and determine how she died.
The baby’s mother was later taken into police custody in connection with the investigation. Authorities had not announced criminal charges against her as of Tuesday morning. Police also had not publicly established who left the infant in the dumpster or described a motive for the child’s death.
The investigation involves determining several basic elements of the case: where the baby was before she was found, when she was placed in the dumpster, who was with her during the preceding hours and what caused her death. Detectives were gathering physical evidence and seeking video while interviewing people who might have information about the child’s movements.
Police had not released the baby’s name or a final account of the events leading to her discovery. The homicide investigation remained active Tuesday as detectives awaited forensic findings and continued reviewing evidence from the Central-Alameda neighborhood.
Author note: Last updated September 29, 2026.